Department of the Interior reviewing mineral lease near American Samoa, China’s Minmetals cleared for exploration tests.
The race to secure critical minerals from the ocean floor is intensifying, as both the United States and China have made moves in deep-sea mining this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it is launching the formal process to evaluate a potential offshore mineral lease sale in the Pacific Ocean near American Samoa, the first such initiative in over three decades. The department said the process was initiated by a request from the U.S.-based firm Impossible Metals last month. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will now lead a review that includes public consultation, engagement with Indigenous communities, and environmental and cultural assessments, according to a statement.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which seeks to jumpstart the U.S. offshore critical minerals industry (we reported). Any country may allow deep-sea mining activities in its territorial waters. However, the order also targets international waters, which alarmed the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN-affiliated body regulating mineral-related activities on the ocean floor.
China’s Minmetals Cleared to Test Seabed Collector Vehicles
Also on Tuesday, China Minmetals announced it has received approval from the ISA to begin deep-sea mining tests in international waters in the Pacific Ocean, marking a first for a Chinese company. The ISA approved Minmetals’ environmental impact report, allowing the company to test seabed collector vehicles later this year. According to business magazine Barron’s, China already holds three ISA exploration contracts, and Minmetals’ green light could serve as a blueprint for future Chinese ventures.
However, deep-sea mining remains a highly controversial topic. Multiple countries, including Germany, advocate for a moratorium on this form of resource extraction because of currently unknown ecological risks associated with it.
Photo: iStock/1xpert
